Romanticize the Evening
by AllHallowsTheLess
Summary: Little Magnus and Alec one-shots. Hope you enjoy the fluff!
1. Chapter 1

The Institute was busy, for a change. It was busy, which meant that the Lightwood children were playing their parts as the entertainers; Isabelle, being her usual talkative and infectious self; Jace, impressing the guests with his vast knowledge and charm; Alec, staying slumped in a chair on the left side of Jace, putting in little bits of information here or there to make the conversation go more smoothly, but failing miserably and instead sinking further into the navy cushions in which he sat.

It wasn't that he didn't have anything to say—he did, and it would have been interesting, had he not stammered and worded it impossibly. His parents had pushed him when he was younger to talk in front of the guests, and he'd participated, but it was hard to carry out a conversation with Alec unless he trusted you.

Needless to say, when Magnus called later that night, interrupting the conversation that they'd been in, saying something important had come up and he needed Alec's help, Alec jumped at the chance and bid his farewells, leaving his family watching the door swing after him.

By the time Alec's key clicked the lock open, he saw that the warlock had indeed something important to do: _Romanticize the evening, _as Magnus liked to say. Candles flickered all around the room, sending shadows chasing along the walls; incents burned with a smell of sandalwood and roses, sweeping about the small living room in a way that made Alec want to swoon; music playing in the background, not quite tame enough to be played at a high-end restaurant, the sounds were sweet yet provocative, setting exactly the mood lovers should be in; and, of course, the main attraction, splayed on the neon yellow couch, black hair pointed into spikes, skin-tight black-leather pants hugging long and skinny legs, and a bare chest. Magnus.

Upon the door swinging open, Magnus glanced towards it, grinning when he saw blue eyes framed in black hair and an alabaster complexion. The picture sent his whole being into a frenzy of hormones. Alec was the most beautiful man alive, whether he knew it or not. And he was all Magnus'.

Magnus smirked. "Well, lovely, don't just stand there." He swung his legs to the floor and patted the place on the couch next to him. Alec unfroze from his place in the door way and walked to Magnus.

"Magnus, I thought you said you had something important to do. And that you _needed_ me to do it," Alec said, his tone implying that though anything that had to do with candles, incents, music and a half-dressed Magnus didn't require Alec's presence, he damn near thought it should. He sat down, leaning into Magnus in a way that left the right side of his body pressed against his boyfriend, Alec's hand wrapped around Magnus' bare waist.

Magnus chuckled. "I think you are poorly mistaken. Your presence is /always/ needed. Looking at the gorgeous, glittering face of moi all day only goes so far in the respects of having fun. Besides, having dinner all by my lonesome myself has started getting old, dear."

Alec rubbed his fingers absently across Magnus' tanned skin. "You are gorgeous." He blushed. Magnus loved that blush, the one that led Magnus to believe Alec hadn't even known what was coming out of his mouth before he said it. It reminded him that what the Shadowhunter was telling him was whatever had been on his mind, nothing else. "I mean—you know that—and I thought—but I shouldn't have," he stammered. He flushed harder, his skin the color of a tomato. Magnus laughed quietly again. "I-I'm sorry. I just thought you should know."

Magnus put a finger under Alec's chin, pulling it up so, so close to his own lips. "I believe what you tell me, beautiful." This time, though, the pink creeping into Alec's cheeks didn't have time to spread; the pressure of Magnus' lips on his told him that there was nothing to be sorry for, nothing to be afraid of. The feeling of Magnus' lips was the only thing there was for Alec in that moment.


	2. Chapter 2

The pale light of the moon emptied itself onto the floor of Magnus' bedroom. Engulfed in quiet breathing and sounds from outside, Alec could almost drift off to sleep once more. Alas, Magnus' scent and steady arms around him kept him on the edge of dreams and reality, shadows dancing both inside and outside his half-open eye lids.

Suddenly, Magnus' fingers were in his hair, smoothing it away from his forehead. A warm thumb swept over his cheekbone, the skin there tingling beneath the warlocks touch. Magnus' lips moved the short distance to Alec's ear. "Darling, it's the middle of the night. What are you doing awake?" he whispered, pulling Alec against his chest.

Alec took Magnus in for a while before responding, thinking just _why_ he'd been awakened in the first place. His eyes flicked to Magnus' and back down in a second. "I don't know. I was just…I felt you breathing, and I remembered 'hey, I'm in a bed with a stunning warlock whose arms are around me—oh! And he's my boyfriend? Why am I sleeping when the dream is in my real life?'" Alec blushed, hoping that the other man couldn't see it in the darkness.

Magnus chuckled, and Alec shivered delightedly at the feeling of the warlocks bare chest against his own. He lay his cheek on Magnus' shoulder.

"So, beautiful, what you're telling me, is that you'd rather be awake and watching me, being with me, than sleeping so we have time for more—shall we say—vigorous and rewarding activities later?" Magnus implored, his smirk showing through the darkness.

Alec blushed again, silently cursing that infernal, perpetually trouble-causing habit. "Magnus. Listen. I can go _demon hunting_ on five hours of sleep and come back wearing a little mud and even less blood. What makes you think I can't—do—that—the thing that—oh, you know what I'm talking about. Just…I can do whatever on any amount of sleep, alright?" He let his hands drift under the blankets, settling on Magnus' barely-clothes hips, almost as if he didn't try to.

It was true. Alec had gone on a demon hunt on _less_ than five hours, in fact, but that didn't mean he know what it took to perform _those_ activities; they hadn't even gotten close to that, yet. Yet. He wasn't almost _certain_…

The sound of Magnus' voice in his ear brought him away from the thoughts he'd had. "Mmm," he purred, stroking his ebony hair. "Well, I guess we could fine out, or we could sleep. You can even think of my gorgeous face and luxurious hair while you sleep. I'll grant you that. Good enough?" He let his cat-eyes carry the question as well. "Alexander, you _know_ how I get when I don't get my ten solid hours." Those green-yellow orbs didn't waver.

Alec sighed contently, kissing Magnus' neck once. "Okay. You'll be here when I wake up, though, won't you?" It was a silly thing to worry about, he knew, but...Somehow he was _actually_ afraid that Magnus would leave him alone.

Magnus laughed. "Yes. It is, after all, Love, my house. I should think," the warlock hummed. "I'll be in my own house when morning comes. Though," the warlock hummed. "I have been known to sleep-travel. We'll just have to hope…"he trailed off, letting his own lips envelope Alec's. The kiss was soft, a nice change from the usual predatory ones that they shared in the sliver of time flanked by clients and assignments—chase moments stolen from short minutes that were few and far between. No, those kisses had a need to them, a hunger, a fire that grew hotter and hotter with each passing second, unable to be put out when they bid their farewells at the end.

This was different, to say the least, Alec thought as Magnus' lips slipped away from his, letting Magnus sink into the abyss that sleep ruled. Alec was left to his thoughts, but that was okay; he was perfect where he was, wrapped in Magnus' protective arms, his lovers breath tickling his face. As Magnus' soft snores filled the room, Alec felt himself fall deeper into himself, deeper into where his wildest fantasies used to belong, a place he used to need. _Now,_ he thought as he tipped off the edge, _ my dreams are around me._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Real short. I ****_will_**** update, but it'll be really, really unreliably. I could update twice in a week, I could update once in two months. I really appreciate the follows and reviews, but I felt like I should let you know that I'll try, but it just doesn't...work, sometimes. Okay! Malec time!**

**I don't own Magnus, Alec, or any of the other fabulous people mentioned below.**

"Alexander, you have lived in New York your whole life, and yet you have _never_ been to a club?" Magnus' eyebrows had shot into his hairline long before, when the topic had first come up. There was no chance of them returning into sigh anytime soon, Alec was sure.

Alec just blushed, shuffling his feet and watching the dirt from the path beneath him rise into the air. They had been roaming the streets near Magnus' apartment when the warlock had stopped short. "To be fair, I've been in preparation to be a Shadowhunter my whole life; it's not like I've had much time to get around to some of the things that seem like they're givens to normal people." He glanced up at Magnus through his hair. "Not that you're normal at all, since you're actually one of the most abnormal people I've ever met." Alec smirked at his boyfriend, savoring the battle of emotions playing across Magnus' face. Surprise. Slight pleasure. Acceptance. Annoyance. They all suited him just fine, anyway.

Recovering from the—shall we say, in Magnus's terms—unsettling news, he sighed shortly and shook his head. "It just won't _do_, dear. I mean, _Jace_ got around to it. He got around to a lot _more_ things, actually, but I'm not discussing all the things he may or may not have _done_, in all senses of the word…" Despite the weak protests spewing from Alec's mouth in defense of his brother, he was fighting off laughter and a grin. "And I'm certain that Isabelle, with that gorgeous face of hers has weaseled herself into one." Alec figured he had a point, but the Shadowhunter wasn't buying in. "Anywho, a little birdy got it around to me that there's this positively magnificent dance club that just opened up a few streets away."He turned to Alec, cat-eyes wide. "We _have_ to go, Alec. I've heard that the atmosphere is just glittering."

Alec pretended to contemplate it, eyes turning up to the sky. He looked back at Magnus. "Have you even been to this place?"

Magnus's eyes found the ground. His brow furrowed. "No, but I don't see why—"

"Then I'm not going to see if it really is as amazing as your 'little birdy' said it was. " He crossed his arms over his chest.

"But Alec it's ridiculous that—"

"IF YOU ARE SAYING THAT SOMETHING I DO IS RIDICULOUS YOU SHOULD LOOK AT YOUR WARDROBE, MAGNUS, AND THEN TELL ME I'M THE RIDICULOUS ONE IN THIS RELATIONSHIP."

"I THOUGHT YOU LIKED MY WARDROBE AND HOW SPONTANEOUS IT IS!"

"I NEVER SAID I DIDN'T LIKE IT I SAID—"

"I HEARD WHAT YOU SAID, ALEC, AND IT WAS—"

"MAGNUS I'M NOT TRYING—" Alec cut himself off once he looked at Magnus. The older man's bottom lip was quivering and a thin line of water had formed on his makeup-smeared lower lids. His wardrobe was his pride and joy; why had Alec brought it into this silly argument?

Alec turned to the brick wall opposite Magnus. His knocked his head against it a few times, rubbed his temples, and then turned back to the warlock. "Fine. I'm sorry I insulted your wardrobe, in all its glory. We can go to the club, okay?"

Magnus shrieked with joy, the quivering replaced by a gorgeous smile. He threw his arms around the Shadowhunter's neck and pecked him on the lips several times before sliding back and wiggling his hips. Alec stood like a statue, too shocked by the turn of events to care that they were in plain sight of a busy street. "…We're going to have to go back to the apartment, of course, because I'm not going to a new club with you looking like you just came in from the gym," Magnus declared. Alec blushed as Magnus slid his hand around Alec's waist and started walking again.

* * *

An hour and a half, twelve different outfits, and a small amount of makeup later (on Alec's part, anyway; Magnus had insisted that it was "essential to the first-time-clubber-thing", despite Alec's refusal), the pair arrived. In the rush of the crowd, Alec was happy to note, they entered almost unnoticed.

It took a minute for Alec to adjust to his surroundings. The air was heavy with the intermingling scents of sweat and alcohol. The horrendously loud beating of the drum made it feel like the place was alive. The flashing multi-color lights kept the people coming and going in his line of sight, like pictures. His mind was working at 500 miles per hour just to keep his mind on one thing. Suddenly, he wished more than ever he and Magnus had stayed at their apartment.

He didn't have time to regret his decision, though, because he was suddenly being dragged through the crowd by a strong, tan arm. Magnus's blindingly white teeth greeted him in a grin, flashing in and out in time with the strobe light like all the others. It took Alec a moment to realize he was shouting something. He leaned it, struggling to hear over the roar of the crowd. "ISN'T THIS GREAT?" Magnus asked, that smirk still in place. Alec felt himself smile back.

"IT'S A LITTLE LOUD, BUT IT'S BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE!" As he said it, he realized it was true; he'd expected the loud noise, the constant thrumming, the terrible heat, but somehow, it was all a lot more bearable than he'd originally though it would've been.

Magnus took his hands and grinned wider, as if to say "I told you so." Magnus started to dance, hips swiveling and arms moving to the beat. Alec watched him, mesmerized by his movements (because honestly, Magnus could have been doing the chicken dance and Alec would have thought it was beautiful). After a minute, when the warlock realized that his companion was standing next to him, not dancing, he took Alec's hips and moved them with his own.

"You have to feel the music, move with it," Alec heard. He closed his eyes, unconscious of anything but the hands on his waist and started to dance.

* * *

Later, when they were home, in bed, lying next to each other, Alec confessed his emotions toward the evening—after much prying and prodding on Magnus's part, of course.

"It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," the Shadowhunter confided. "I had a good time."

Magnus beamed at his boyfriend. "I _knew_ you would." He put his lips on Alec's and his hands on Alec's waist, much like a mimic of the earlier dancing scene, and pulled Alec's hips on his. Alec could almost feel the erotic beat surging in his ears again.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So the first fic I ever wrote was a Malec, for the ask blogs on Tumblr. I had one that I liked the best and decided to get it on here. If you've seen it before, I apologize. I just thought I'd upload it because I feel bad for not writing any Malec. :(**

**I changed a few things, though, and added a bit.**

**New Years Resolution: Put a disclaimer on everything. So: I do not own Alec, Magnus, or any of the other flawless tidbits of The Mortal Instruments that I use in this little tingy-ma-booby.**

On a park bench in the middle of Central Park is where he wanted to meet. Why? What was the point? Was there really ever any with Magnus, anyway? Of course, there was no question; Alec was going if it killed him. Though, he thought, seeing him again would probably do more than kill him. Magnus was like some sort of celebrity; no matter what mood you were in, how you felt about him, he always seemed to have a charge about him that electrified you, one that kept you coming back, even if it meant risking yourself as the cost. At least, that's how it felt when you were in love with him.

Walking through the park, Alec noticed the Faeries hidden among the grounds. They weren't visible to the human eye at all, but it took a trained Shadowhunter to pick them from their hidden places even with the Sight; they were masters of disguise, much like Magn—Alec caught himself. No. He wouldn't relate everything he saw to him. He could try all he wanted, of course, and his efforts would be perpetually futile. There wasn't any helping it; he never left Alec's mind, not completely.

He saw a slumped figure ahead, on a park bench in the middle of the clearing. Alec's heart began to pound as he saw blue sparks fly from Magnus' finger tips-a nervous habit, the warlock had confided in Alec once with a wry smile. His breath caught in his lungs like it always did when he saw Magnus. Magnus was the way he remembered him, although there was a sadness in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Magnus' head whipped up, his cat eyes shining with life and realization. His body went rigid, but Alec could practically hear the disbelief and flummox in the warlock's soft voice as he said a single word, "Alec."

Alec. Not Alexander. Not Alexander because that's what he'd always called him. Alexander had words with it, words like "I love you" and "I won't ever let you go" and "There won't be an end for us", cheesy words that shouldn't have brought a hammer to his chest, but did anyway. It was special, and Magnus couldn't say things that careless anymore, couldn't say things that led Alec on. Alec tried to make himself understand that. Magnus raised his head again and looked at Alec. "I asked you here because I need you to send a message to the Clave for me."

Alec blinked, but he'd expected that that was why he'd been invited there. A messenger "You could've asked Jace. Or Isabelle. Or Mom or Dad. So why," Alec asked, his heart racing, still avoiding eye contact with Magnus, "did you ask me to come here?" Alec felt his heart leaping again, like it was going to come out of his chest. Why did he have to make everything so difficult? "This isn't easy for me, Magnus, and I—"

"You think this is easy for _me_? You think I don't want you and I to be like we were? You think I don't still love you? Emotion like that doesn't just disappear, Alexander," Magnus cursed himself. He showed it. He still loved Alec and he showed it. He struggled to recomposed himself before he spoke again, hoping against hope that 800 years of practice could dam the sea of emotions that threatened to spill over. "I didn't ask your siblings because they would tear out my throat without hesitation. I didn't ask your parents because, whether or not they supported our relationship, they hate me, too. None of the others would send my message through."

"What makes you think that I will? What makes you think that I'd be willing to do anything for you, Magnus? I'm not some little doll that you can play with when you get bored. I made a mistake. I _understand_ that, more than I've understood anything in a long time. But people make mistakes, Magnus, you should know that better than anyone. You should know that sometimes you need to give people second chances, even if they don't deserve one."

Magnus sighed, running a hand through his hair-which, Alec dully noted, was down and without product. "Alec, I asked you. I'm sorry for any trouble I may have caused. Please just—" But Magnus was cut off by the pressure on his lips.

Before either was aware, Alec was pressed against Magnus, his hands looped around Magnus' neck. Magnus kissed him back and then whispered, "This doesn't change anything," before kissing him again. The kiss deepened quickly, desperation, months apart, and lust smashed into two sets of lips, two tongues, and two men who were very much in love. Because that's what love is, Alec thought. Love is anger. Love is hatred. Love is jealousy. Love is passion. Love is trust. Love is deception. Love is every emotion between two reciprocal mates in the world, pushing and pulling the others to form a single, heavily-weighted word.

Alec managed to mutter an "I know," before he unclasped his hands from the warlocks neck and detangled himself. He smiled sadly. "I know, but at least now I have closure on my own terms," he said. Before Magnus could say another word-though, of course, the only word that would make Alec stay was not in his vocabulary at the moment-Alec walked away, the sting of tears clouding his vision making it impossible not to feel as if nothing was worth it anymore.


End file.
